Bhubaneshwar:
District Collector Vineel Krishna has been held hostage for a week by Naxals in Orissa. After extensive negotiations between the government and Naxals, Mr Krishna was meant to be released last night along with an engineer, Pabitra Majhi, who had been kidnapped with him from Malkangiri. However, the Naxals now say they will hold onto him till they get custody of five of their leaders who are currently in jail.
Mr Majhi returned home earlier this evening. The three mediators appointed to interface with the Naxals were told Mr Krishna would follow in a few hours. But at 8 pm came the news that the Naxals had changed their mind. They say they want their leaders to be handed over to them in Malkangiri.
Among those leaders is Ganti Prasad, who was arrested in November and charged with sedition. Mr Prasad's release was at the top of the Naxals' agenda. The government's acquiescence was obvious in the Orissa High Court today when it said it could not prove the charges against him. Mr Prasad was granted bail.
The Naxals say they need Mr Prasad and four others to be escorted to Malkangiri in exchange for Mr Krishna.
Sources tell NDTV that the Maoists have now also demanded the release of top Maoist Sriramalu Srinivasulu, who is currently awaiting trial in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr Majhi and Mr Krishna were kept at a Naxal camp in the thick forests along the Andhra-Orissa border. Last night, Professor G Haragopal, who is the chief mediator in the current crisis, said the two men would be released within 48 hours. When there was no sign of them this morning, the Naxals communicated to the mediators that there was no cause for concern - the terrain had made it tough to leave the forest at night.
Mr Majhi held a press conference upon his return to his village and said that the District Collector was in good health.